Legendary Baseball Manager Sparky Anderson Dies at 76

Hall of Fame baseball manager Sparky Anderson, who led the Cincinnati Reds to World Series victories in 1975-76 and the Detroit Tigers in 1984, has died just a day after being placed in hospice care due to complications resulting from dementia, said family spokesman Don Ewald.

Anderson, 76, had been living in retirement at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. His family released a statement along with their announcement: “The Anderson family — wife, Carol; sons Lee and Albert; and daughter Shirley Englebrecht — wishes to express appreciation to all friends and fans for the support and kindness they have shown throughout Sparky’s career and retirement.”

Anderson, who only played one full season — with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959 — eventually moved into management, first in the minor leagues, then moved on to steward the Cincinnati Reds in 1970. Within five years he had led them to World Series championships. After the 1978 season, however, he was fired and went to the Detroit Tigers where he repeated his success in Cincinnati in 1984 and won two Manager of the Year Awards.

He retired in 1995 and his Tigers number, 11, has remained inactive ever since — although not retired. In 2000 he was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager as well as in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame the same year. (Via The Detroit Free Press)